Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety81#2,984/15,637
Economy69#4,815/15,631
Housing61#5,904/14,977
Health70#4,654/15,609
Healthcare92#1,254/15,650
Environment83#2,686/15,453
Education67#5,155/15,649
Infrastructure19#12,733/15,650
Community99#188/15,651
Leisure & amenities65#5,430/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Franklin, New Hampshire ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Merrimack County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.1 µg/m³
96/100New Hampshire 5.4 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMerrimack County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.2 /10k
94/100New Hampshire 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMerrimack County value
Mammography screening · high56.0%
94/100New Hampshire 52.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMerrimack County value
Child poverty rate · low3.8%
93/100New Hampshire 7.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Mental health providers · high582 /100k
92/100New Hampshire 423 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMerrimack County value
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
90/100New Hampshire 1.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMerrimack County value

Weaknesses

Comfortable days · low23.0%
8/100New Hampshire 22.2%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMerrimack County value
Drought exposure · high80%
12/100New Hampshire 64%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAMerrimack County value
Effective property tax rate · high1.73%
13/100New Hampshire 1.50%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Job growth · low-1.7%
16/100New Hampshire -1.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMerrimack County value
Broadband subscriptions · low85.5%
18/100New Hampshire 92.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Average commute time · high31.6 min
21/100New Hampshire 26.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
15.5% (2015-2019) → 3.8% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.4% (2015-2019) → 85.5% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$52,795 (2015-2019) → $71,648 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
24.1 min (2015-2019) → 31.6 min (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
9.9% (2015-2019) → 5.6% (2020-2024)
−4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
42.6% (2015-2019) → 38.8% (2020-2024)
−3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Franklin, New Hampshire improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Uninsured−4.3 points9.9% → 5.6%
Household income+36%$52,795 → $71,648
Broadband+10 points75.4% → 85.5%

Declined2

Commute+7.5 min24.1 min → 31.6 min
Price / income+0.5×3.1× → 3.7×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Franklin, New Hampshire between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.1 min2015-2019	31.6 min2020-2024	+7.5 min	Declined	5%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Broadband subscriptions	75.4%2015-2019	85.5%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	60%
Effective property tax rate	2.16%2015-2019	1.73%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	86%
High school diploma or higher	91.3%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	45%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4182015-2019	0.3802020-2024	−0.038	Within the margin of error	79%
Median household income	$52,7952015-2019	$71,6482020-2024	+36%	Improved	66%
Poverty rate	8.9%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.4%2015-2019	26.7%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Rent-burdened households	42.6%2015-2019	38.8%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Unemployment rate	4.1%2015-2019	2.8%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.9%2015-2019	5.6%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Improved	84%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Franklin, New Hampshire five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Franklin, New Hampshire in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Franklin, New Hampshire itself moved −0.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,799 residents (±26)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69
50–59
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 women (+4.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,799 residents (±26)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

White95%8,327
Black0.3%†27
Hispanic or Latino0.2%†14

Education

6,636 residents (±239)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

No high school diploma9.3%†614
High school or GED35%2,303
Some college30%1,969

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,613 households (±242)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $25k13%†472
$25k–50k22%†796
$50k–75k18%663
$75k–100k14%489
$100k–150k22%802
$150k–200k6.0%†217
$200k or more4.8%†174

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−9.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,613 households (±242)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Own64%2,321
Rent36%1,292

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,277 households (±243)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $75018%†229
$750–1,00018%†227
$1,000–1,50043%†543

Home values

2,321 homes (±277)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under $150k7.9%†183
$150k–250k38%†875
$250k–400k41%946

Age of homes

4,018 homes (±248)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

2010 or later2.1%†83
2000–20098.2%†329
1980–199914%†

Size of homes

4,018 homes (±248)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Studio0.6%†25
1 bedroom17%699
2 bedrooms26%1,026

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,307 workers (±341)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Drive alone76%3,293
Carpool13%†540
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.3%†58
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.3%†356
Other1.4%†60

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+4.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,951 workers (±377)

Franklin, New Hampshire
New Hampshire share

Under 15 min27%1,053
15–29 min21%†837
30–44 min29%1,163

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Concord, NH

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Merrimack County, the county holding most of Franklin's residents.

Merrimack County has 4,213 employer establishments, 269 for every 10,000 residents (1.08× the US rate of 248; 0.96× New Hampshire's), with 62,841 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,356. The Census Bureau also counts 12,691 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,213; 12,691 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 269; US 248 · New Hampshire 280
Paid employees: 62,841
Average annual pay: $60,356; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Merrimack County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	388	24.7	1.60×More than typical	2,500	$76,259	1,208
Restaurants and other eating places	289	18.4	1.00×About typical	4,926	$25,417	56
Ambulatory health care services	250	15.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	4,271	$84,746	594
Building equipment contractors	188	12	1.99×More than typical	1,223	$75,863	241
Services to buildings and dwellings	165	10.5	1.56×More than typical	1,291	$55,726	581
Automotive repair and maintenance	131	8.4	1.66×More than typical	588	$55,796	162
Construction of buildings	127	8.1	1.07×About typical	791	$93,370	518
Full-service restaurants	124	7.9	1.03×About typical	2,444	$28,860	18
Lessors of real estate	116	7.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	777	$61,656	1,406
Landscaping services	115	7.3	2.09×More than typical	896	$62,127	210
Limited-service restaurants	107	6.8	0.85×About typical	1,699	$23,942	33
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	99	6.3	1.91×More than typical	823	$79,521	120

Rank places for an industry Open Merrimack County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 156,883 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $77.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Franklin, New Hampshire: $8.78 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $77.2K; −79% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.78; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 53%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$77.2K100%

Top recipients

ADIRONDACK RESEARCH LLC$41.3K53%
BOB & MIKE'S PROPERTY MAINTENANCE & REPAIR LLC$11.6K15%
LEBELL'S LANDWORKS LLC$11.6K15%
AERIAL TREE SERVICE LLC$11.5K15%
CARDINAL RECRUITING LLC$9,20412%
YORKSHIRE INDUSTRIES LLC-$1,8390.0%
CLOUGH H R INC-$6,0680.0%

Spending by fiscal year

206.6KFY2017
488.3KFY2018
1.1MFY2019
213.9KFY2020
478.2KFY2021
322.1KFY2022
115.2KFY2023
306.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$85.2K100%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Franklin, New Hampshire

INTRUSION DETECTION SYSTEM REPLACEMENT, FRANKLIN FALLS DAM, FRANKLIN, NH AND BLACKWATER DAM, WEBSTER, NH$114.3K
YORKSHIRE INDUSTRIES LLC· Merrimack County, NH· Construction & real property· Aug 21, 2025 – May 13, 2026· W912WJ25PA065
CHEMICAL VEGETATION CONTROL SERVICES, FRANKLIN FALLS DAM, FRANKLIN, NH$44.9K
ADIRONDACK RESEARCH LLC· Merrimack County, NH· Facilities & utilities· May 12, 2026 – May 12, 2026· W912WJ26PA077
GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SERVICES, FRANKLIN FALLS DAM, FRANKLIN, NH$44.7K
BOB & MIKE'S PROPERTY MAINTENANCE & REPAIR LLC· Merrimack County, NH· Facilities & utilities· Mar 25, 2024 – Jun 5, 2026· W912WJ24P0057

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Franklin, New Hampshire, so they do not add up across cities.

Franklin, New Hampshire's figures are part of those of Merrimack County, NH ($36.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.2% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Franklin is mostly in Merrimack County.

See federal money in Merrimack County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Franklin, New Hampshire is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Merrimack County97100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Concord, NH99

Other cities and towns in Merrimack County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3327380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends